Frog for railways



Filed Aug. 30, 1923 Patented Aug. 26, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT G. CRAWFORD, or PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, AssIeNoR To THE AMERI- CAN FROG a SWITCH COMPANY, or HAMILTON, OHIO, A CORPORATION or OHIO.

FROG FOR RAILWAYS.

Application led August 30, 1923. Serial No. 660,217'.

Be it known that I, ROBERT G. CRAWFORD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Frogs for Railways, of which the following is a specification.

It is the object of my invention to provide a simple and effective frog provided with slots or recesses into which the ends of the rails may be inserted for providing support in the frog at both sides oi' the respective ends of the rails; further, to provide a novel frog into which the ends of the rails may be inserted and held without the necessity of bolting or clamping the ends of the rails to the frog; and, further, to provide a frog with an caser-extension and a fish-extension between which the end of the rail is received for holdingthe end of the rail in place.

The invention will be further readily understood from the following description and claims, and from the drawing, in which latter:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of my improved device, showing rails extending from the frog, and the rails and cross-ties partly broken away.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation oi" the same, taken in the direction of the arrow 2 of Fic'. 1.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the same, taken in the direction ol the arrow 3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a crO-ss-section ot' the same, taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1, 'partly broken away.

Fig. 5 is a cross-section of the same,taken on the line of Fig. 1, partly broken away, and showin-g a wheel in dotted lines partly broken away.

Fig, 6 is' aplan `view of my improved de vice in association with the ends of rails, the rails having their heads removed and being shown in horizontal section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 2.

.F ig. T is a cross-section oi' my improved device, take-n on a line corresponding to the line 7-7 of F ig. 2, showing a modification in that there is a bolt passing through the rail-end; and,

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a detail of l my improved device, partly in section on a line corresponding to the line 8-8 of Fig. l, but showing va modification in that there is a bolt passing through the rail-ends.

The frog-tongue 11 comprises the point 12. Easer-extensions 13, 14, extend from the heel 15 of the tongue in angular `relation, the angle being determined by the angle of the Jfrog, that is, the relative directions in which the rails extend at the frog.

lVings 18, 19, are connected with the tongue b the base V20/oii the frog, and are in spacec relation from said tongue by the channels 21, 22. The outer ends of the Ohannels are formed as mout-hs 23, 24, by the divergin'g ends 25, 26, of the respective wings.

The caser-extensions 13, 14, at the heel of the frog are 'connected by the web 30 of the base of the frog, and are respectively provided with tongues 31, 32, which extend lengthwise of the extensions. These tongues are received in the side channels 33, 34, of the rails 35, 36.

The heel of the frog is provided with fishextensions 38, 39, shown parallel with the respective easer-extensions 13, 14, being respectively laterally braced by the webs 41, 42, which form the bottoms of the mouths 23, 24, of the channels 2l., 22. These latter extensions are shown provided with tongues 43, 44, which are received in the side channels 45, 46, of the rails 35, 36.

rThe easer-extension 13 and its mating fish-extension 38 form a slot 48 between them, this slot being 'preferably of a form to correspond to the walls of the side channels at the end of the rail, so that the rail may be slipped endwise into the slot and be supported at both sides by these extensions. The caser-extension 14 and the {ish-extension 39 have a similar slot 49 between them, being correspondingly shaped for receiving the end oi' the rail endwise into said slot and supporting the rail between said extensions.

The web 51 oi' the base oi.l the frog, which has vthe Channel' 52 thereabove, in advance of the throat 5,3 of the frog, is provided at its respective sides with fish-:extensions 55, 56, the relative angles of which correspond with the angle of the frog. These fish-extensions are provided with tongues 57, 58, extending parallel with said extensions and respectively received in the side channels 59, 60, of the rails 61, 62.

Baiser-extensions 65, 66, extend parallel with the {ish-extensions 55, 56. r1`hey have tongues 67,68, which are received inthe side channels 69, 70, of the'rails 61, 62.

Slots 71, 72, are provided between these respective caser-extensions and fish-extensions at the respective sides of the frog. The ends of the rails G1, 62, are arranged to be slipped into the slots 71, 72, and to be supported laterally respectively by the caser-extension and the fish-extension at the side of the frog.

vThe inner formations of the caser-extensions and fish-extensions and their tongues are such, preferably, as toy follow the contour of the sides of the rails, for filling in the side channels of the rails, so that the webs 73 of the rails have lateral support against the tongues, the lower edges of said extensions being provided with rabbets 711, the upper walls of which are preferably slanting` to conform to the upper slanting face of the base 75 of the rail, for finding support on said base. The upper edges of said tongues are preferably so formed as to contact the lower slopes of the head 76 of the rail for supporting` said head,

When now the ends of the rails are slipped into the slots at the ends of the frog, the said ends of the rails are supported laterally by said extensions. and no further fastening means is necessary 'between the frog and the rail-ends, `although it is desirable that the rails adjacent their ends be suitably secured to cross-ties 78 as by means of spikes 79. Spikes 80 may also hold the frog to crossties shown at 81.

The sloping faces 83 of the caser-extensions permit the outer edges of the treads of the wheels of the traveling vehicle to rise upon the frog to prevent endwise `jolting of the frog, it being understood that the wheels 8A of railway vehicles usually become worn adjacent their flanges 85, exemplified in dotted lines in Fig. 5, forming annular grooves 86 in the wheels adjacent the flanges, and leaving the outer ends 87 of the treads of the wheels of greater diameter than the diameter of the wheels at said grooves.

The usual lengths of rails are provided with, a pair of holes at their ends which are spaced standard distances apart and from the end of the rail. 1f desired, the respec tive caser-extensions and fish-extensions at the throat end-of the rail may be provided with holes 91, 92, and a bolt 93 passed through these holes and the end hole 94- in the rail, as shown in Fig. 7 ,y with the usual nut 95 and lock washer 96, for connecting the end of the rail with said extensions, the bolt passing through the end one of the holes in the end of the rail. A similar bolt may pass through the second hole 97 at the end of the rail and a corresponding hole in the fish-extension, and be clamped in place by a Ausual nut` and washer.

1f desired, the heel end of the frog may also have the ends of the rails bolted thereto, as by means of a bolt 101 shown in Fig. 8, which passes through holes 102, 108, in the respective caser-extensions and fish-extensions at the heel of the frog and the end holes 911- in the end of the rails, as shown in Fig, 8, a nut 105 and washerP 106 clamping the parts together'. Short `bolts may be received through the usual second holes 97 at the ends of the rails and mating holes in the easereextensions 13, 14, usual nuts and washers clamping the parts together. These bolts and nuts may, however, be dispensed with. as sufficient lateral support and connection with the rails is provided by the respective mating caser-extensions and fishextensions.

My improved construction permits an extended easing at each end of the frog over a substantial distance lengthwise of the frog and provides a fish-extension. opposite each caser-extension. In the form shown, the fish-extensions are longer than the caser-extensions at one vend of the frog and the easer-extensions arev longer than the fish-ex# tensions at the other end of the frog, as

shown in Fig. 6.

The frog with its extensions is prefen ably made of a single casting, for instance of a special grade steel.

My invention is especially useful in such relations where temporary tracks are laid, in which the necessity for bolting the ends of the rails tothe frog is obviated with my improvement,.and it is also especially adapted for use in economically constructing turnvouts in the rail systems of mines for branch tracks into rooms in which mining operations are taking place. and which turn-outs Aare in practice used only as long as it may take to remove the coal from the room, whereupon change is made in the trackage and the turn-outs and branch tracks taken up andI used at a different location.

My improved device forms ready and economical and safe means whereby suchchanging relations may be economically satisfied.v as noy fitting between the rail-ends and the `frog is necessary, and no bolting or,- other clamping between said rail-ends and the frog is required in my improved device.

My improved device also provides ready and economical means whereby turn-outs having short radii may be constructed.

Having thus fully described my invention,what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A frog having an caser-extension at one side of a rail-slot and a fish-extension at the other side of said rail-slot to form said rail-slot, said rail-slot arranged to lreceive the end of a rail.

2. A frog having an easerextension at one side of a rail-slot and a fish-extension side channels of the rail.

3. A frog having an caser-extension at one side of a rail-slot and a fish-extension at the other side of said rail-slot to form said rail-slot, a frog-tongue at the inner end of said rail-slot, a. wing spaced from said frog-tongue to form a channel having a widened mouth, and a Web at the bottom of said mouth, said web connecting' With said Wing and having connection with said fisheXtension in rear of the inner end of said rail-slot.

Al. A frog provided with end-slots at each end of the frog for the endvvise insertion of track-rails at the respective ends of tlie frog, each of said end-slots having a Wall at each side thereof to laterally support the end of the track-rail inserted therein, and the Walls of each of said slots being of unequal lengths.

5. A frog having easer-extensions and fish-extensions at each end of the frog, spaced apart t0 form slots for the endWise insertion of rail-ends, said caser-extensions being longer than said fish-extensions at one end of said frog and said caser-extensions being shorter than said fish-extensions at the other end of said frog.

6. An integral frog comprising a throat, a channel in advance of the throat, a fisheXtension at each side of said channel, and an caser-extension at each side of said frog spaced laterally from said fish-extension at said side of said `frog to form a rail-slot at each side of said frog, the Walls of each of said rail-slots provided with tongues arranged to be received in the side-channels of rail-ends inserted endivise into said slots.

7. An integral frog comprising a throat, a channel in advance of the throat, a fishextension at each side of said channel, and an easter-extension at each side of said frog spaced laterally from said fish-extension at said side of said frog, said respective lishextensions and eraser-extensions forming mating extensions to form a rail-slot at eac-h side of said frog, and said mating extensions having` mating holes at the respective sides of the rail-slot therebetween for a rail fastening means.

8. An integral frog comprising a tongue, side-Wings spaced from said tongue to forni side-channels, caser-extensions connecting with said tongue, and fish-extensions at the sides of said easer-extensions to form railslots, said side channels having mouths the bottoms of which are formed by Webs Which connect with said side-Wings and merge into said fish-extensions at points distanced from said tongue distances greater than the distances of the inner ends of said rail-slots from said tongue.

9. An integral frog comprising a tongue, side-Wings spaced from said tongue to form side-channels, easer-extensions connecting With said tongue, and fish-extensions at the sides of said easer-extensions to form rail-- slots, said side-channels having mouths the bottoms of which are formed by Webs which connect with said side-Wings and merge into said ish-eXtensions at points distanced from said tongue distances greater than the distances of the inner ends of said rail-slots from said tongue, and said easer-extensions and said fish-extensions provided with mating holes at the respective sides of said railslots for rail fastening means.

l0. An integral frog comprising a tongue, a throat and an end-channel, easer-extensions at the heel of said frog beyond said tongue, lish-eXtensions at the sides of said end-channel, fish-extensions at the sides of said caser-extensions to form rail-slots, and caser-extensions at the sides of said firstnained fish-extensions to form railsl0ts, the side Walls of all said rail-slots formed to conform to the side shapes of rails arranged to be received endvvise into said rail-slots.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of tivo subscribing Witnesses.

ROBERT G. CRAWFORD. Witnesses:

HERBERT L. SAUNDERS, A. J. GARsoN. 

